


We Can Stay Here (and Laugh Away the Fear)

by ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Softness, Tumblr Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 12:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19888192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand/pseuds/ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand
Summary: h/c prompt: "Will you hold my hand?"requested by anon on tumblr





	We Can Stay Here (and Laugh Away the Fear)

**Author's Note:**

> all of my fics are turning into "how many different ways can Arum react to Damien panicking?" and I'm 100% fine with that. hope you enjoy!

Damien is panicking. This is not an unusual occurrence, as much as he wishes it were. Normally, if he is with Rilla, she will talk him down, rubbing soothing circles into his back and repeating comforting affirmations to him until he begins to believe them. He is not a burden. He’s not alone. He’s safe. 

Sometimes, though, Rilla cannot be there. If he’s in the barracks, away from Rilla’s soft, warm comfort, he sits curled up on his bed, shaking and sweating and sobbing until he tires himself out. Then, he lays in his bed with his arms wrapped around himself in a poor imitation of the physical affection he wants so badly, coming down slowly until his exhausted body slips into a restless sleep.   
This time is different, though. This time, Damien doesn’t have Rilla, but he is not alone. Instead, as he tries to gasp in air and get some control back over his breathing, there is a four-armed lizard... Fretting over him. 

At first, this fact only adds a layer of emotion to his panic. What must Lord Arum think of him? He must look ridiculous. He certainly feels ridiculous, panicking over something as simple as a mug of tea spilled over one of his books of poetry. 

But, then, Arum’s own fidgeting panic catches Damien’s attention. The lizard’s clawed hands are fluttering in uncertainty over his back, his arm, his knee, his side and... Oh, Saints. It tickles.   
This, combined with the fact that Arum is stuttering at Damien, completely clueless and unsure and entirely endearing, breaks through Damien’s panic attack and suddenly he’s giggling instead of gasping. 

Arum jerks back and the stunned blink he gives Damien at this is enough to send him into another fit of giggles. Damien thinks they really are ridiculous, the pair of them. As he calms down the effects of the panic attack begin to catch up to him, and as he wipes the tears from his eyes he realizes he is very tired. 

Arum takes a step back towards him and tilts his head, questioning, “Honeysuckle? Are you - alright?”

Damien’s expression catches somewhere between a grimace and a chuckle. “Yes, Lord Arum, I am tranquil once again. Sometimes my mind runs away from me, and my anxieties take on a more... physical manifestation.”

Arum is dismayed, shaking his head in confusion. “But... Honeysuckle. How can we fix this? How do we stop them?”

Damien chuckles ruefully. “Unfortunately, lizard friend, it doesn’t work that way. It is simply how it must be. I must bear them as well as I am able, though Rilla is often a great help.”   
Then, Arum looks curious. “Rilla... helps. Could... I help? What can I do, Honeysuckle? If this happens again.”

Damien’s smile is a little more genuine, if a bit weary as he replies, “I think you’ll have more luck asking our dear Rilla that question, my flower. If I understood what it is that Rilla does that calms me I would learn how to do it myself. I think much of it is simply that she is there. It is… very comforting to know that I am not alone, in those moments when I feel as though I could not be more alone.” 

Damien is tired, but through his exhaustion he sees that Arum is still fidgeting, hands itching for something to do but too nervous to actually do something. So Damien finds a way to get what he wants, and maybe offer a little comfort of his own. “You know, Lord Arum, there is one thing I think you could do to help.”

The hopeful, expectant look on Arum’s face when Damien says this makes him feel as though his chest should be glowing from the warmth that fills it. So, he reaches out a hand and asks, “Will you come sit with me, and hold my hand, my love?”

In the space of a breath Arum is by his side, clawed fingers intertwining with his own and stilling at last. Damien beams and leans his head on Arums shoulder, squeezing Arum’s hand gently, and Arum’s arm wraps around his back and draws him closer. They stay intertwined like this until Rilla comes home and can join them, snuggling up and tangling themselves together in a puddle of warmth and comfort.

**Author's Note:**

> come find me on tumblr @shorter-than-her-tbr-pile


End file.
